Five Delta State staff members recently completed the P.A.T.H.S. (Partnership for Applying Technology to Help Students) program sponsored by the Office of Information Technology.

The second cohort of the 2016-17 academic year graduated Thursday after participating in the professional development program over a three-day period.

“My participation in the P.A.T.H.S. program gave me the opportunity to meet the members of the OIT department,” said Cornelia Thomas, senior secretary of Health and Physical Education and Recreation. “I knew a little about technology, but this training has given me a better understanding of many of the different programs being used, how the Internet works, how Canvas works and more. This training will help me be better at my position in my department.”

On the first day, participants received a welcome and an overview of OIT services by Dr. Edwin Craft, CIO of Information Technology. Over the course of three days, participants had hands-on experiences and workshops on OIT supported technologies including Canvas LMS, AV online services, cybersecurity and Sway.

Faced with nearly $2 million in state budget cuts in the past 13 months, Delta State University will close the university golf course as a way to offset cuts and protect the university’s core operations.

President William N. LaForge said this is a difficult but necessary decision in order to protect university programs and personnel.

“Regrettably, the Cabinet has been put in the difficult position of closing the university golf course to achieve savings in our budget — necessary because of the continuing state budget cuts,” LaForge said. “We are working hard to identify areas for budget savings on campus to offset these cuts that avoid impacting personnel and academic programs. We realize that the golf course is a longstanding and traditional feature of the university, and we regret having to make this tough decision. However, this action is absolutely necessary.”

The golf course will close on June 30 and remain non-operational after that. The decision will not affect the university golf team which will practice and play at the Cleveland Country Club.

The closure will translate into nearly $250,000 in savings for the university, which are needed to offset $1.1 million in state budget cuts from this fiscal year alone. There is no plan to repurpose the course at this time.

All golfers with memberships at the golf course are welcome to use the course until the end of June. Anyone with memberships extending beyond June will be refunded a pro-rated share of their fee.

James Rutledge, vice president for Finance and Administration, said the closure will not affect current golf course employees.

“The three golf course employees will have the opportunity to transfer into current vacant positions in Facilities Management, therefore none of the golf course employees will be terminated,” he explained.

LaForge said university administrators met with a large group of stakeholders, golfers and others, this week to explain the decision.

“We understand that the city of Cleveland is essentially losing what they consider to be a public golf course. Unfortunately, we cannot be that public golf course for our community any longer because of the budget cuts,” LaForge said. “Our primary focus has to be on academics and our students, and our mission as a university. Because of these budget cuts, we can no longer afford to operate a golf course.”

A delegation of Student Government Association students from Delta State University visited the Mississippi State Capitol this month to observe legislators in session and to host Delta State’s local members for lunch.

Rep. Hudson said the visit was special for him because of his ties to Delta State.

“Because I worked there for five years, Delta State University will always be a special place to me. I spoke with members of the student government association while they were in Jackson,” he said. “They were all knowledgable about happenings on campus and around the Mississippi Delta. Though we only spent a few minutes together, I was happy to see folks from back home.”

Parker said the experience of seeing the legislators in action was especially exciting.

“We took the time to meet our legislators to discuss Delta State,” said Parker. “We talked with them about the bills going through this session that had to with our university and about the recent budget cuts. It was an awesome experience to see the legislators in session because it was the first date for bills to be on the floor. We were able to witness the bills actually being talked on and voted on.”

The students also took time to complete a recent philanthropy project, delivering Valentine’s cards signed by students across campus to the Blair Batson’s Children’s Hospital.

On March 9, Delta State will continue it’s longstanding tradition of hosting legislators for a brown bag luncheon at the capital, providing more students the opportunity to network and interact with elected officials.

“We really look forward to the luncheon because it’s a great way to spread the word about the great things going on at Delta State,” said Parker. “It’s also a great way for students to connect with legislators on a more personal level, and improve DSU’s relationship with the legislature.”

The Delta State University National Alumni Association recently announced its new free app, now available for download.

Find the app by searching Delta State Alumni in the iTunes App Store for Apple devices and Google Play for Android devices.

The app will display event schedules and provide Statesmen graduates and friends with multiple ways to interact and communicate with Alumni staff.

The user-friendly app makes it easy to join the Alumni Association, call or email the Alumni staff, get directions to the office, or make a gift. Sharing memories, photos, and providing current information has never been easier – from the convenience of a mobile device.

“The new app is a great way to keep up with upcoming events on campus as well as chapter events planned throughout our alumni footprint,” said Sayward Fortner, National Alumni Association president. “We look forward to connecting with our alums and friends, and encourage everyone to enjoy its features — for example, submit photos showing their school spirit.”

Delta State University Alumni Association’s mission is to perpetuate the memories of university life; provide a medium through which interest in Delta State University may be promoted; assist in establishing alumni chapters; bind the alumni into a united fellowship working together for the advancement of the university; serve as a link between the university and its alumni; and to act as a service organization for former Delta State students.

The GRAMMY Museum®‘s most popular exhibit to date, The Taylor Swift Experience™will open at GRAMMY Museum Mississippi in Cleveland on March 3, two days before the Mississippi museum celebrates its one-year anniversary.

AT&T is the official sponsor of The Taylor Swift Experience in Mississippi. Most recently, AT&T unveiled Taylor Swift NOW, a new video experience created exclusively by AT&T and Swift.

Curated by the GRAMMY Museum at L.A. LIVE, The Taylor Swift Experience gives visitors and fans an in-depth look at the 10-time GRAMMY-winning artist as a singer, songwriter, musician and producer through personal photographs and home videos, interactive experiences, handwritten lyrics of Taylor’s top-charting hits, and iconic performance outfits including her custom-made Atelier Versace romper worn earlier this month at the DIRECTV NOW Super Saturday Night concert in Houston, Texas.

“We couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate our one-year anniversary than by hosting this incredible exhibit paying tribute to one of the most legendary artists of today,” said Emily Havens, executive director of GRAMMY Museum Mississippi. “After showings in Los Angeles and New York, we are thrilled to bring her story to Cleveland, Mississippi, only a few hours away from her hometown of Nashville, where Taylor began her recording career.”

On display through Aug. 13, 2017, the exhibit will feature:· clips from AT&T’s Taylor Swift NOW video channel, featuring unique and never-before-seen content and behind-the-scenes footage· custom-made Atelier Versace romper worn at DIRECTV NOW’s Super Saturday Night concert· personal family photos, early childhood reading books and clothing, including the sweater gown Taylor wore home from the hospital just days after her birth· tour costumes from Taylor’s “The RED Tour” and “The 1989 World Tour”· items from the GRAMMY-winning Album Of The Year “1989,” which include iconic outfits from the GRAMMY-winning Best Music Video “Bad Blood”· pre-Met Gala Louis Vuitton dress· handwritten lyrics for Taylor’s smash hits “Teardrops On My Guitar,” “White Horse,” “22” and “Welcome To New York”·Taylor’s 2009 GRAMMY Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for “White Horse”· the dress Taylor wore in her music video for “Mean,” as well as the banjo used during her performance at the 54th GRAMMY Awards in 2012· a one-of-a-kind custom-built piano used during “The 1989 World Tour”· and more, including additional interactive elements

Having originally debuted at the GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles on Dec. 13, 2014, Swift’s 25th birthday, the exhibit was expected to close in May 2015, but due to overwhelming response, was extended through Oct. 4, 2015. The exhibit made its East Coast premiere on Nov. 18, 2016, in New York’s Seaport District, where it remained on display through Feb. 19, 2017.

The Taylor Swift Experience will be on display in GRAMMY Museum Mississippi’s Special Exhibits Gallery through Aug. 13, 2017. GRAMMY Museum Mississippi is located at 800 W. Sunflower Road, Cleveland, Mississippi 38732.

GRAMMY Museum Mississippi is the first GRAMMY Museum to be built outside of Los Angeles. Its grand opening was held on March 5, 2016.

About Taylor SwiftIn the fall of 2014, when Taylor Swift released her critically acclaimed fifth album, “1989,” she astounded the world by selling almost 1.3 million albums in its debut week — a feat that had been called impossible. She is the only artist in history to have three albums selling over one million copies in their first week of release (2010’s “Speak Now,” 2012’s “RED”and 2014’s “1989”. Swift, a 10-time GRAMMY winner, is a singer, songwriter, musician and producer, and not only the youngest winner in history, she is the first female solo artist to win the music industry’s highest honor, the GRAMMY Award for Album of the Yeartwice. Swift has an album on Rolling Stone’s prestigious “The 50 Greatest Albums of All Time (by women)” list, she is Billboard’s youngest ever Woman of the Year, and the only artist to have been awarded this honor twice. Time magazine has named her one the of the 100 Most Influential People in the world, and one of only eight candidates for their most prestigious honor, 2014 Person of the Year. She is the inaugural recipient of AMA’s Dick Clark Award for Excellence. The number of awards she has won and the sales figures only tell part of Swift’s story. It’s the intangibles that elevate her into the stratosphere of our pop culture planet, allowing the 27-year-old singer-songwriter to orbit in a more rarified air. Her large-scale charitable contributions are one thing, but it’s in the small gestures – the notes of compassion she posts on the Instagram photos of lovelorn fans, the genuine hugs she distributes without discretion – where Swift proves time and time again that platinum-selling, record-setting success has not changed her inherent nature. She is awkwardly honest and powerfully empathetic; a brazen superfan, loyal friend, fierce protector of hearts; and one of the world’s greatest ambassadors for the power of just being yourself.